Arranging means of the type above-mentioned heretofore widely used employs a system in which centrifugal force is utilized. More specifically, the known system utilizing the centrifugal force comprises the steps of dropping the screws or the like in the vicinity of the center of a dish-like member which is being rotated and causing the direction of the screws or the like to be arranged in order through making use of the difference in configuration and in weight between the head portion and the column portion of the screws or the like while the screws or the like are being caused to transfer toward periphery of the dish-like member under the influence of the centrifugal force; the disc-like member may alternatively be oscillated in lieu of rotation.
These prior systems, however, have a drawback in that they are exaggeratedly large in their dimensions and heavy; this comes from the fact that the means to rotate or to oscillate should relatively be of greater power and thus the mechanism to work in association with such rotate or oscillate means should correspondingly be of sufficient mechanical rigidity. Another drawback of the prior systems will be that the systems, particularly the dish-like member thereof, should be installed only in a horizontal place or in a place with a fixed angle, this being due to the arrangement means employed therein where, as explained above, the screws or the like are designed to be arranged in order by their own weight, that is, the installment of the prior systems is limited to a fixed place. This will be disadvantageous to the case where the systems are required to be easily transferred by the user, when, for instance, the systems are to be used in the manual assembling of machinery and tools or of woodwork where frequent transference of the systems is inevitable.
It is noted that the prior systems convey the screws or the like to the destined place by their own mechanism or by the help of other supplying device. The screws or the like so conveyed, however, should temporarily be kept by the forward end of a screw driver in the case where it is intended that the screws or the like are tightened consecutively by an electro-motive screw driver. Consideration should also be given to the case where the screws or the like are to be tightened to a deeper and/or narrower place, to say nothing of a horizontal place.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for arranging and supplying screw or the like, which is small in size, not heavy, easily transferable and can be used even in a declined state.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which requires only a relatively small power to drive and which can easily be associated with other means, such as an electro-motive driver or the like.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus wherein an arrangement is made to send the screws or the like out individually toward the supplying portion in response to an action requiring or ordering supply of the screws or the like.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can supply the screws or the like even into a deep place where a tapped hole is formed.